When a family enters Denver Rescue Mission's shelter at The Crossing, the children arrive too. They carry backpacks, stuffed animals, and the quiet weight of instability. Open Soul Foundation partners with Denver Rescue Mission to ensure these children, and the families they belong to, are met with more than a roof. They are met with intention, investment, and joy.

A Youth Center Built for Every Age

Denver Rescue Mission's Youth Center at The Crossing has grown into a comprehensive space designed to serve children and teens at every stage of development. Age-specific rooms ensure that no child falls through the cracks. The Sunshine Room serves children ages 3 and under. The Youth Room provides programming and activities for school-age kids. And the Skyline Room gives teens a space of their own. Each room is equipped with age-appropriate toys, activities, and programs so that children staying at The Crossing do not miss a beat in their development.

Beyond the rooms themselves, the Youth Center offers one-on-one tutoring, after-school academic support, IEP referrals for special education, and online learning tools that keep students on track. Community partnerships expand the experience further: children visit the Balfour Senior Center to read with seniors, and through Young Americans Bank, they learn to build savings by opening their very own accounts.

Open Soul Foundation is proud to help fund this kind of holistic, future-focused care for Denver's most vulnerable children.

A Two-Generation Approach

What makes the Youth Center's model especially powerful is its commitment to the whole family. Denver Rescue Mission uses a Two-Generation approach, developed in collaboration with Ascend at the Aspen Institute and the Colorado Department of Human Services. Rather than focusing solely on the parent or solely on the child, this model works with both simultaneously, building family well-being across six key areas: early childhood education, K-12 support, postsecondary and employment pathways, social capital, health including mental health, and economic assets.

The goal is generational. When a parent finds stability and a child feels supported, the cycle of homelessness can begin to break.

Graphics provided by Ascend at the Aspen Institute: Ascend.AspenInstitute.org/2Gen-Approach/

Character Coins and the E.P.I.C. Store

Through good behavior, school attendance, program participation, and volunteering, children in the Youth Center earn Character Coins. These coins can be "spent" in the E.P.I.C. Store, which is stocked with games, toys, crafts, electronics, and school supplies. It is a system built on encouragement, teaching children that effort and character are worth something. Supplying the E.P.I.C. Store is one of the meaningful ways that Open Soul Foundation and the broader community continue to invest in these young lives.

Why It Matters

Every tutoring session, every age-appropriate room, every Character Coin earned is a small declaration: you matter, and your future is worth investing in. Open Soul Foundation is honored to walk alongside Denver Rescue Mission in this work, helping to ensure that children experiencing homelessness are not just sheltered but truly supported.

Open Soul Foundation was here.

"Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:14